Welcome!

Dear Friends of AFCM,

As a teenager, I started learning about classical music through recordings and
the radio. Much of it was enthralling, but aside from the irresistible Schubert
piano trios, somehow I just couldn’t develop much interest in chamber music
simply by listening to records. Only when I started attending student and
faculty recitals at the University of Arizona did I begin to understand why
anybody should care – and care deeply – about chamber music. And when I
began attending AFCM concerts, I became a true believer.

The music didn’t change; all along, I recognized that it was carefully
crafted work for small ensembles, written by expert composers who were
communicating at a more person-to-person level than in their large-scale
orchestral works. What changed was the effect of that music when heard and
seen live. The intimacy and intensity of only three or four committed
musicians sitting just a few feet away conveyed greater passion, humor, joy,
and ingenuity than any recording.

For 68 years, the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music has brought the highest
level of small-ensemble music-making to Tucson, presenting the most
distinguished artists at the lowest possible admission price, so we can share
this music with anyone willing to arrive with open ears. We have entertained,
enlightened, and sometimes even provoked our audiences with old favorites
and brand-new commissions, expertly performed by musicians who make
chamber concerts not some arcane ritual but an essential, often thrilling part
of daily life.

As much as the musicians, you and I are a critical part of this chamber-music
life. Please join me in making it possible to share the music with each other
and with newcomers. Bring friends to concerts. Offer whatever financial
support you can, whether a modest donation or a full concert or commission
sponsorship. Most of all, keep your ears open. Your heart and mind will follow.

JAMES REEL, PRESIDENT
ARIZONA FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC